Template:Today in Baseball/December 23

January 2: Today's featured birthday is that of Dave Sappelt, who turns 38.

• 1886 - The new Cleveland Blues hire Jimmy Williams as their manager.
• 1953 - Junior Gilliam wins the 1953 National League Rookie of the Year Award.
• 1975 - A three-person panel, headed by arbitrator Peter Seitz, declares Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally (pictured) free agents. The decision opens the way to free agency in Major League Baseball.
• 1986 - The Lotte Orions deal superstar Hiromitsu Ochiai to the Chunichi Dragons for Kazuhiko Ushijima, Sadaharu Hiranuma, Shigeru Kuwata and Seiji Kamikawa.
• 1990 - Lotte Orions first-round pick Hideo Koike refuses to report to the team, going to the industrial leagues instead.

Recent days: December 22 – December 21 – December 20